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Arthur C. Brooks' $10,000 for a College Degree

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Arthur C. Brooks presents his opinion on an idea gaining prevalence across the United States in his published article, “My Valuable, Cheap College Degree.” This new idea is a college degree which costs the student a total of $10,000, also known as the 10K-B.A. Inspired by a challenge to educators from Bill Gates, governors in the states of Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, and a state assemblyman in California have recently made efforts to make this idea a reality. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2011, the average tuition for just one year at a four-year private university was nearly $33,000. While the median inflation-adjusted household income fell by seven percent between 2006 and 2011, the average real …show more content…

Is it truly worth the extra $23,000? For some people, yes, it is worth it, but for others going away to college may be impossible due to circumstances and an online or through the mail class provides a chance for them to still earn a degree.
As quoted in Brooks’ article, “Predictably, this has stimulated antibodies to unconventional modes of learning. Some critics see it as an invitation to charlatans and diploma mills” (1). There are universities that send red flags. As it was brought up in the article, diploma mills are popping up all over the country. The news is full of for-profit universities that print useless pieces of paper and call them diplomas which will be granted to those who have not put the effort in. These non-brick and mortar institutions claim to be accredited, but they are nothing more than a hallway with rooms and people in a financial department spilling for services that are not accredited. For example, the wizard in The Wizard of Oz explains to the scarecrow that he does not have to go to college, all he needs is the diploma. A diploma means nothing without the blood, sweat, and tears put in to earn the degree. Just a rolled up piece of parchment paper with the word “diploma” written across it means nothing if there is not actual work put in to earn the credentials; however, it would be possible to make laws to ensure that a college or university is accredited before they can graduate students.
It cannot be said that those who succeed in

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